Project Details:
Context
During In-situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) activities on the Moon, the lack of atmosphere and the low gravity might cause the creation of large dust conglomerates. Processes like drilling or water extraction can eject and disperse large amounts of particles, representing various threats to future astronauts’ health. Lunar habitats’ fundamental systems (i.e. power production, life support plants, thermal regulation systems, etc) and machines could also be affected by the dust deposition process, causing several long-lasting issues such as damaging sensors, shadowing and clogging the machines. Due to the growth of the ISRU activities during the lunar missions planned in the next decade, associated dust pollution and dispersion shall be considered a major concern for any kind of operation. One of the most promising solutions to this issue is represented by the enclosure of ISRU machines in closed environments to be placed in the neighbourhood of the lunar habitats, allowing dust to be captivated and collected for potential re-use in other applications.
Lexicon Project is developed in the context of the Asclepios ll, an analog astronaut mission. A crew of six international analog astronauts will be placed in isolation while they carry out experiments and EVAs to explore the challenges in the search for water. The mission will take place in July 2022 at Sasso San Gottardo, a Swiss world war era fortress in the Airolo municipality of Switzerland. Lexicon will be tested during this mission. More information is provided here: https://asclepios.ch/asclepios-ii-3/
Details
Lexicon is a flexible and scalable system to confine, separate and collect the lunar dust produced in a closed and controlled environment. Its design aims to improve the filtering solutions already adopted in the Apollo mission by reducing the required maintenance and increasing the number of possible applications. The system is based on a closed-cycle, involving an inert fluid coupled with a cyclone filter to collect the dust produced inside a dome accommodating the ISRUmachine (i.e. driller, excavator, etc). The scalability of the system is allowed by 3D printing almost all the components and assembling them in-situ, thus avoiding the transportation of bulky materials.
Positions Available:
No. of positions: 1
The candidate will perform CFD simulations in ANSYS Fluent and help in the modeling of CAD assemblies in SOLIDWORKS. The overall behaviour of Lexicon system has been modeled through a lumped parameter approach using MATLAB/Simulink. However, to maximize the overall performances, CFD analyses are required to optimize the shape of 2 fundamental components. The result of the af the analysis will drive the manufacturing of the components through 3D printing.
Duties
- Perform CDF analysis in ANSYS Fluent (or other suitable CFD solvers);
- Help in CAD modelling.
Requirements
- Full-time registered bachelor or master student at Politecnico di Milano – any department;
- To have basic knowledge of CAD softwares.e.g. (Solidworks, CATIA, …) ;
- To be familiar with CFD softwares (ANSYS, OpenFoam etc);
- To be familiar with the basic concepts of Fluid dynamics;
- Commitment to dedicate at least 6 hours per week.
No. of positions: 2
Lexicon has to be delivered by the first week of June 2022 to San Gottardo, to allow the training of analog astronauts before the actual start of the mission in July. The candidate will take an active part in the Lexicon project assembly and manufacturing. The fundamental tasks are related to the purchase of components (funded by Asclepios and PoliSpace), and the manufacture of some subsystems through 3D printing techniques. Finally, the candidate will participate in the assembly and testing of the whole system.
Due to planning constraints, fail fast method is applied.
Duties
- Attend the regular progress meetings
- Manage the purchases of the COTS components
- Take responsibility for 3D printing
- Contribute to the final system assembly
- Help in compiling the reports and presentation materials.
Requirements
- Full-time registered bachelor or master student at Politecnico di Milano – any department.
- Commitment to dedicate at least 6 hours per week
- Positive attitude and open to discussion
- Proactive and problem solver
Location:
* Please note that due to Covid-19 pandemic the job can be carried on remotely
General Notes:
- Candidates must submit both Motivation letter and CV/Resume in English only, in this section.
- All the applications must be submitted through position-dedicated google forms only indicated on the bottom of each job offer. Other application modalities will not be taken in account
- There will be at least 2 rounds of the recruitment process:
– CV and Motivation Letter evaluation;
– An interview with successful candidates. - To allow shifts in the ranking, successful applicants will be asked to confirm their position right after their selection;
- Successful applicants will be given one month to become familiar with their teammates and tasks. After this month their position can be permanently confirmed. In any case, it is possible to resign at any time.
For any queries about the application process, please contact HR Department of PoliSpace at hr@polispace.it.
For technical questions reach instead: projects@polispace.it
Benefits:
Getting a position in PoliSpace will lead you to:
- Add value to your career acquiring several different skills related to your role
- Collaborate and interact with Space Professionals from all over the world
- Expand your network being in contact with Space companies and experts
- Publish one or more paper(s) for conferences or on specialized journals
- Receive an Official Certification of your role in the association and some customized gadgets
Keep also into account that as a team member you could have the chance in time to move up in the leading positions.
FAQ:
Candidates can apply for ONE POSITION IN ONE TEAM. In case more applications come from the same candidate only the first application in temporal order will be considered for evaluation.
